Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran explores Marie Grosholtz’s life during the French Revolution. The story begins a year before the revolution and ends in 1802 when Marie finally leaves France.
My five-star rating is very much deserved! Madame Tussaud is a historical novel with some fictional twists, but it felt like I was experiencing what was happening in France while reading Moran’s words. Every piece of dialogue felt believable. Moran definitely put a lot of effort into producing a historically accurate take on Marie’s horrifying experiences during the Reign of Terror.
Unlike Edward Carey’s Little, Moran spent time creating an emotional bond by expressing the emotions and feelings of the characters. Moran was fearless in exploring the everchanging emotions of the French people in Paris during the revolution.
The relationship between Marie and her brothers was brilliant, especially her oldest brother Edmund. Moran delved into the complex relationship siblings have. The stormy and distant relationship between Edmund and Marie greatly contrasts Wolfgang (her youngest brother) and Marie’s loving relationship. I loved Edmund and Marie’s story arc near the book’s end. It showed how the terrible events of the revolution changed everyone in France.
I loved the sprinkle of romance present throughout the book. Henri was so caring, patient, and kind to my dear Marie. Their love story was a pleasant break from the many (and I mean MANY) awful things happening in Paris. I would have loved to see what their reunion was like at the end of the book.
Moran did a great job displaying how Marie toed the line between the royalists and the revolutionaries. The relationship between Madame Élisabeth and Marie (King Louis XVI’s sister) was refreshing. In contrast, Marie’s sometimes cautious interactions with figures like Robespierre, Danton, and Marat were riveting. Moran examined as many views on the revolution as she could in the novel. She was not afraid to discuss the genuinely heart-wrenching moments of Marie losing loved ones to the Reign of Terror. The moment Marie is forced to make her first death mask was weirdly captivating. I felt like I was sitting right next to Marie while the mob pushed the bloody, decapitated head into her hands.
I loved Moran’s take on historical figures like Marie Antoinette, Thomas Jefferson, Marquis de Lafayette, and Maximilien Robespierre. She brought these people to life in a very genuine way.
Overall, I loved Madame Tussaud. I recommend this masterpiece to anyone interested in the French Revolution and historical fiction. This novel has motivated me to look into Moran’s other books. I loved her writing style and look forward to reading more of her work.
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